Volunteers in Jersey City pitch in to build homes for vets

There are 40 to 50 homeless veterans in Hudson County, according to officials, and the goal of a new initiative in Jersey City is to put a dent in that number.

A coalition, including the building trades, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, and the South Hudson Civic Association, began renovations yesterday on a vacant building at 665 Ocean Ave., which the group says will ultimately house eight currently homeless veterans.

The three-story building, with two storefronts on the ground floor, is currently vacant. It is currently privately owned but plans are in the works for the redevelopment agency to purchase it, said Freeholder Bill O'Dea, organizer of the civic association.

The owner is allowing work to begin, he said, adding renovations should be completed by December. It is not clear what agency will manage the property but a meeting is scheduled later this month with the United Way to figure that out, he said.

Broken bottles and wood beams could be seen strewn on the ground floor of the property. The vinyl siding is peeling off the property.

Through a couple labor union programs, veterans will help with renovations, said Patrick Kelleher, president of the Hudson County Building and Construction Trades Council.

Both programs integrate veterans into Hudson County B&CTC and Plumbers Local 24 unions, which will provide vocational training, Kelleher said.

"Veterans want to have a vested stake in the units they're living in," O'Dea said. "Veterans don't want a handout."

O'Dea said developers will donate materials to the housing project.

In addition to eight housing units, the two storefronts will be set up as offices offering social services to the veterans, O'Dea said.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who served in the Marines, said the project was very important to him on a personal level. He said the impetus for the program came from First Lady Michelle Obama's initiative to end veteran homelessness.

Similar housing programs also exist in Bayonne and Union City, and there are plans to expand it to Hoboken as well, officials said.

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